September 10, 2011

100 years of style.



You have to watch this several times to notice all that's going on. The first time I watched it, I was unaware that I had lapsed into watching only the woman until the late 60s came along and the man's look suddenly popped.

That reminds me: The Wall Street Journal alerts us to "Male Fashion's Feminine Turn." That seems more about commerce (and language "Men can also wear 'mandals' (male sandals), 'murses' (purses), 'mantyhose' (pantyhose) and 'mankinis' (swimsuit variants)").

33 comments:

Saint Croix said...

cripes women went ugly in the late 1970's.

rhhardin said...

My style hasn't changed since 1968 when I introduced bermudas on airplanes.

Phil 314 said...

White people! UK has so many white people. Racist.

the first time I watched it, I was unaware that I had lapsed into watching only the woman until the late 60s

Professor, your sexism is showing.

Did I mention they white?

Shouting Thomas said...

... suddenly popped...

Althouse, you've learned one of the buzz word phases of multimedia!

ndspinelli said...

"Houston to Governor Moonbeam..do you read. Over"

"Houston..Governor Moonbeam. I read. I'm coming back to earth and I'm beinging some common sense w/ me. Over."

Automatic_Wing said...

Doesn't this all stem from that Seinfeld episode where Kramer and Frank Costanza were arguing about whether to call their male support garment the Bro or the Manssiere?

Shouting Thomas said...

I've got to go play a block party in Schenectady today, and all we're gonna play is that old fashioned blues and country and western shit.

I wanna be in a death metal band.

These guys really have a cool sense of style.

No friggin' pansies here.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Devo.

traditionalguy said...

Female beauty is the husband's glory.

Female rebels refuse to look attractive...it's for the cause.

ndspinelli said...

Where do I go to get my 1:41 minutes back?

Anonymous said...

That video is the best demonstration of devolution of the middle class that I've ever seen.

Anonymous said...

Reading down, I see that this is the visual equivalent of the Thomas Paine post below. Is this an intentional theme today?

Shouting Thomas said...

That video is the best demonstration of devolution of the middle class that I've ever seen.

Don't think so.

From my own little blog:

After listening seriously to a few Dying Fetus songs, and reading their lyrics… I’ve got to say this…

For young men who’ve been screwed over by a feminist dominated school system, beaten up by a racial quota system, and in general portrayed as stupid monsters…

Dying Fetus is probably the best response imaginable.

I might become a fan.

edutcher said...

The early look for the guy was very effete, although it may have been a more upper class thing - or just the guy in the video. Notice how little time they spent of the Rocker look.

The look for the woman that really "popped" was the Greer Garson look of WWII. Interesting.

But, yeah, they're trying so hard to feminize men these days

William said...

Business attire for men has not changed much over the past hundred years. The frock coat and the fedora have come and gone, and shirts now come in colors other than white. Other than that not much change. Perhaps now that women are corporate rather than secreterial, their rate of change will diminish. Chanel suits with the width of the lapel changing over generations.

Palladian said...

I absolutely despise those stupid media-created portmanteau atrocities like "murse" and "mandals". It's like a nail being driven into my skull when I hear them. They're nonsensical and butcher any semblance of linguistic logic because they replace parts of words that do not denote the sex of the object's intended user. The "p" in purse or pantyhose does not "gender" the word. A purse is a purse, no matter who carries it; sandals are sandals no matter who wears them. And men were wearing hose, sandals and carrying purses a long time before women were doing the same.

Fred4Pres said...

The woman looks best in the dresses are from the late fifties/early sixties and then those mid-late sixties minis. But the Come On Eileen dress just sucks as does the punk stuff and the rest of it afterwards.

The twenties stuff is not bad. The victorian styles are probably well made but look hot and uncomfortable. The 40s styles don't do anything for me.

Carol_Herman said...

Suddenly, no hats.

And, then no clothes that anyone that I knew ever wore.

No Marlon Brando's ripped tee-shirt.

No "man in the grey flannel suit."

But the biggest of all bounces into the 60's with no hats.

And, where were the gloves? They got tossed off at about the same time.

Meanwhile, how did they dance and keep their hats on? And, how come there were no straw "bowlers." My dad said he knew it was the "end of summer" when the straw hat was tossed off.

Did men stop wearing hats after WW2, because hats were "military compliance?"

The other big thing that's missing is men's ties! Where once the shirt collar was removable ... so it could be washed more often that the shirt, itself ... Ties were like carrying your own napkin around.

There were times they were very skinny. (Bow ties really didn't take off). Nor did cravats. But wow. Men once had real tie collections ...

And, men's lapels also changed, too. (I still don't like a skinny lapel on a man's suit jacket.)

Also missing from the lineup was the "blue blazer."

HA! And, no Bermuda Shorts! Which came along in the 1050's, because Ike golfed a lot.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

I would love to know where they obtained all of the different period clothes.

Love the 40's stuff.

Carol_Herman said...

Okay. 1950's. Some keys on this keyboard are too close together.

Maybe, next time they'll do Halloween costumes. Where girls used to go in and raid their mom's closets.

Boys got to wear variations on "sheets."

And, the reason you don't see Blacks, who could out-dance the White's. Is that they wore lots of hand-me-downs.

And, women also used to make their own clothes! Just seeing this ... would have been a hoot, too.

Tim said...

""Men can also wear 'mandals' (male sandals), 'murses' (purses), 'mantyhose' (pantyhose) and 'mankinis' (swimsuit variants)")."

The fuck they can. Near-men, yes.

Real men, no.

J said...

Mankinis? Blech. Thank God winter is coming. Still, not as bad of an idea as mongs.

Skyler said...

"Men can also wear 'mandals' (male sandals), 'murses' (purses), 'mantyhose' (pantyhose) and 'mankinis' (swimsuit variants)").

No. They can't.

At least while still being men, that is.

Palladian said...

"Men can also wear 'mandals' (male sandals), 'murses' (purses), 'mantyhose' (pantyhose) and 'mankinis' (swimsuit variants)")."

"The fuck they can. Near-men, yes.

Real men, no."

...

"No. They can't.

At least while still being men, that is."


Jesus Christ wore sandals. George Washington wore hose. The Scots Guards carried/carry sporrans (from the Scottish Gaelic word for "purse". Are they "real men"?

I always wonder what sort of loutish, ugly, low-bred ruffian you have to be to classify as one of these mythic "real men"?

Skipper said...

Forget the fashion. How the heck did they make this thing, changing outfits midstep without hint of a video cut?

Unknown said...

I think the objection is to the utterly ludicrous need of some people (typically fashion morons) to coin the stupid words, not necessarily the carrying of something akin to a purse, wearing something akin to pantyhose or wearing sandals.

Bob Ellison said...

I'm thinking of a new genre of romance novels:

Suddenly he appeared outside my bedroom door, wearing only a mift and manties. "Do you have any Mandol?" he asked. "I've got a screaming case of the mamps."

"I hate that time of the manmonth," I replied. "Sure, look in the manicine manbinet."

"Many manks," he said gratefully. Watching him manter into the brothroom, I thought of that time we got caught in the mansoon, when his manties were so tight I could see the lines, even through his maanmuu...


Not sure what the target manket would be.

Anonymous said...

I know one form of "style" that would have changed for the woman* about a decade ago. And not changed for the better, god damn it.

* = and possibly the man too

Peter

Clyde said...

@ Palladian

Re: Real men.

A Texan goes up to Alaska to work on the oil pipeline. From the moment he gets there, all he hears is how great Alaska is, how tiny Texas is by comparison, and how Alaskans are the only real men in the world. Finally, one night at the bar after work, the Texan snaps.

"Okay, what do you have to do to be a 'real man' up here in Alaska," he asks.

One of the locals laughs and says, "To be a real man in Alaska, you have be able to drink a pint of whiskey in one pull, rape an Eskimo woman and kill a grizzly bear, all in one night."

The Texan says, "I can do that," grabs a bottle of whiskey off the bar, tips it up and drains it all down. Then he slams the bottle down on the bar and goes staggering off into the night.

The locals all laugh, figuring the Texan will be back shortly. But an hour goes by, then two hours, and they start to get worried. Just as they're about to organize a search party, the Texan comes staggering back into the bar, and he is torn all to hell. He's battered and bruised, bleeding from a dozen cuts.

"Jesus, what happened to you?" asked one of the locals.

"Never mind that!" said the the Texan. "Where's that Eskimo woman you want me to kill?"

Paul said...

Hey.. I liked that!

Good movie. And they can dance!

SukieTawdry said...

They didn't have a leisure suit. They needed a leisure suit.

Oh good, men's fashions are taking a feminine turn. Because that's what we need, more chickafied men.

Then there are mandals—open-toed shoes that are more formal and structured than flip-flops. President Barack Obama was spotted in a black pair last summer.

Why am I not surprised. (He probably calls 'em "mandals," too.) I wonder how they look with mom jeans.

SukieTawdry said...

DustBunnyQueen said...I would love to know where they obtained all of the different period clothes.

Love the 40's stuff.

9/10/11 12:19 PM


My friend had a private tour of the wardrobe warehouse at one of the Hollywood studios. It had everything. And lots of everything. She said, for example, there were racks and racks and racks of nothing but aprons.

geoffb said...

Reminds me of this video.